I bet a lot of deer hunters woke up this morning with a lost empty strange feeling.

No more deer hunting.

Surely most folks are happy to see it end but on the other hand there are those who would rather keep it going. The 10 extra days in February have helped, especially in areas where the deer are still in rut, Montgomery county included.

Think about it, deer have been either shot at, spooked, jumped up by hunters with a bow, big guns, air guns and even spears since Oct. 14. That is four months of hunting time.

Many Alabamians love spending time pursuing deer in all types of weather. Mother Nature threw a variety of weather our way — two snow events, ice, sheets of rain and many cold fronts with a northwest wind. In my opinion, it was a good winter to be a hunter. The weather conditions are usually the first thing that folks try to blame for an unsuccessful season. Not true for this year’s season, so don’t let any outdoorsman use that for an excuse.

My hunting activity has been off the charts since Jan. 15. I have seen countless small bucks and four shooters. A shooter buck to me is 4-year-old mature deer with signs of more massive antlers, thicker chest and neck and does not appear long legged. During the current three-week hot time of the rut, I have seen it all.

In the past three weeks, I have seen three bucks chasing one doe, grunting bucks almost daily, larger bucks snort wheezing at younger bucks, and watched bucks make scrapes. I have seen bucks with busted up racks and some with the entire antler beam completely broken off from fighting their rivals. Last week, I saw a mature doe baby sitting five yearlings. I am quite sure all those yearlings were not her offspring, but she was just doing her part while their mommas were preoccupied.

As you might be able to tell, I do not shoot many deer. I am not as mad at them as I once was.

Over the years, I have gotten soft, which is OK by me. I enjoy scouting and finding a good buck that either my son or father would have satisfaction in shooting. This was my main goal going into the 2017-18 season.

The afternoon hunt on Jan. 31 was the perfect day to hunt a certain clover and oat field. This particular stand had only been hunted a couple of times all year for the purpose of waiting on the rut start. At 4:15, a nice tall clean eight-point followed a doe into the field. I watched him for 10 minutes and decided not to shoot hoping he would stay on the property for at least two more days for my dad and son to come hunting.

As luck would have it, two days later that very same buck stepped out on the green field while my 84-year-old dad sat in his ground box stand. My dad made a good 75-yard shot and the eight-point buck traveled 60 yards before expiring.

The only thing that would have made it better is that if I was sitting in the stand with him. In the past few years, I normally sit with him just to make it more fun for us and to spend additional time with my dad. It is truly a blessing from above that he harvested this buck. Due to health concerns, my father only hunts a few times each season. I am thankful that my son and I could experience the joy and celebration of this hunt with him.

On the other hand, that same afternoon came with a big disappointment. Webb, my 22-year-old son, shot a nice buck, but it ran off. We looked for hours with no luck. A heavy rainstorm blew in around 11 p.m. and that ended our blood-tracking effort.

Early the next morning, I contacted a professional deer tracker, “Idaho Mike” Lopez to please bring his dog, Lucy, and look for my son’s buck. At 9 a.m., I met Idaho Mike and his Texas Lacy canine. I also called for additional tracking help from Norman Parks and Bill Orr.

We looked high and low plus crossed a water-swollen creek searching for this deer. Lucy did a good job picking up a trail but eventually lost the scent due to the flood the night before.

Words can not describe the disappointment we felt, but at least we know that we gave it our best effort and that eases the sorrow. I want to thank everyone involved in the search party, especially Idaho Mike and his beloved dog.

Lucy is nearly 13 years old now and has earned a heck of a reputation for tracking wounded deer. This year she has recovered 130 deer and a whopping total of 561 in her life. Great job, Lucy.

Hunting is a great way to make memories with family and friends. I hope everyone can cherish the memories of a good, safe and happy deer season. I know that I will have many to reminisce and cherish this year.

Also, a special thank you to my father for everything he has done for me and the many life lessons. Thank you, Dad. I love you.